Improvement in steam-engine governors



i invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER A.' KELLY V.AND ESTUS LAMB, OF SLA'IERSVILLE, RHODE ISLAND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,111, dated January 31, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OLIVER A. KELLY and EsTUs LAMB, of Slatersville, in the county ot Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and Improved Governor; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear7 and exact description thereof7 which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a sectional front elevation of this Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section ofthe same, taken in the plane indicated by the line oo oo, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is-a partial side elevation of the same. Fig. et is a detached front view of the rod and cam-slot regulating the position ofthe pawls.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

'lhis invention relates to an improvement in ball-governors, or in governors of any other construction based on the same ora similar principle to ball-governors; and its object is to obviate the violent liuctuations of the governors and consequent violent changes of the quantity of steam admitted to the cylinder7 which are consequent upon a sudden increase or decrease of the resistance to or work of the engine; or to obviate the governor-balls assumin g diiierent positions corresponding with quantity of steam admitted in the cylinder by ordinary governors.

By this. improvement in governors the requisite quantity of steam is admitted into the cylinder to cause the regulator-balls to assume and maintain a uniform position, corresponding with the speed of the engine, let the resistance, power, or labor ot' the engine be what it may. Consequently the governor has a more perfect action and the engine a more uniform and steady speed than from governors of the ordinary construction.

The invention consists in the employment or use oi'a revolving screw-rod to form the connection between the governor and the cut-oft' or throttle valve and applied in combination with an arm which extends from a rock-shaft connecting with said valve or from the valvespindle,|and the end otwhich is tapped to screw on said screw-rod in such a manner that by the revolving motion imparted to said screwrod the valve is opened or closed independent of or inopposition to the action of the governor-that is to say, the valve is partially closed, when, by some sudden increase ofthe resistance or work to be overcome by the engine, the balls sink down and the valve is partially opened, if by some decrease of the resistance or work the balls ily out and the supply of steam is equalized by means acting to some extent independent of the governor. The rotary motion of the screw-rod is governed by an escapement-wheel with two pawls, one of which causes said escapement wheel and screw-rod to turn in one and the other in the opposite direction.

An adjustable hinged shoe is applied to the escapement-wheel in such a manner that when the engine runs at its mean speed (or at the speed for which the governor is adj usted) the pawls are prevented from engaging withv the escapement-wheel in either direction; but if the speed of the engine increases and the ballsV ily out, whereby the cnt-oft' or throttle valve is partially closed, one ot the pawls engages with the teeth of the escapement-wheel and turns the screw-rod, so that by its action the cut-oft or throttle valve is brought in such a position that the speed of the engine falls oit, the balls drop to their adjusted place, and the engine recovers its normal speed 3 but fthe speed of the engine falls oft' and the balls drop down, whereby the cut-oft' or throttle valve is wider opened, the opposite pawl engages with the teeth ofthe escapement-wheel, and turns the screw-rod in the opposite direction until the balls again attain their adjusted place, and the engine recovers its normal speed. The position ot' the shoe is governed by a camslot in a rod which rises and falls with the governor-balls, and when the valve'or cut-ofi' motion is in a position to give the required speed to the engine the adjustable shoe is placed in-such a position to the escapcmentgear as to prevent the pawls from engaging in it in either direction. A spring-bar extending from the rock-shaft of the valve-gear or from the valve-spindle bears on the shank of the shoe and throws it in such a position that the pawls do not engage with the escapementwheel in either direction, producing a stop motion to the escapement motion in case of deficiency of steam for the labor to be performed.

A represents a governor of the ordinary f construction.' f The balls B are suspended from pendulum-arms C, which are hinged to the `upper 7end ofthe spindle D, and which connect byy links E with ay strapF, fitted intoy a connects by an arm, a, and screw-rod b with an arm, c, ywhich extends from therock-shaft n d, that carriesfthe tappets acting-fony the valvec gear of aOorliss cut-off; or said arm may be f connected ydirectly tothe spindle of an ordinary throttle-valve. rlhe screw-rod yI) is con,-

nected tothe arms a and c, so that when the f yspeed of the f engineincreases andthe balls e iiy out the rock-shaft or valvespindle d will turn in the direction of the arrow marked on it in Fig.r l of the drawings,y yand thevalvey closes. The screw-rod b turns freely in the arm c, and a rotary motion is imparted to it` by a bevel-gear, ef. yIt extendsthrough the wheel e, the hub of which is fitted into a box,

, y, so that said wheely can krotate freely, but is e n not allowed to movefin any other way, and a e key or feather secured in the bore of a wheel, f and catching in a seat orgroove in the screw rod, compels the latterr to rotate with rthe f y wheel, while it is allowed to rise and fall independent of the same. f f

A portion of the rod b is provided with ar e ,screw-thread, or, it' desired, the screw-thread ymay be cut on a sleeve which is adjustableon the rod'b by means of a set-screw, as clearly shown in the drawings, and this screw-thread is tapped into a swivel-nut secured to the end of the arm c.

The bevel-wheelf is mounted on the inner endy of a shaft, i, which has its bearings in a bracket, j, secured to the column which forms the bearings for the governor-spindle, and the outer end of the shaft bears the escapementwheel la, and also a rocking elbow-lever, l Z, one arm of which carries the pawls m m, whereas its other arm connects by a rod, n, with a crank, o, mounted on the end of the shaft p, which imparts motion to the spindle of the governor. The pawls m on are connected to the arm t of the elbow-lever by a pivot, q, in such a position that they point in opposite directions, and both engage with the teeth of the escapement-wheel, and if a rocking motion is imparted to said elbow-lever one pawl turns the escapement-wheel in. one and the other in the opposite direction.

In order to prevent the two pawls m m from engaging with the teeth of the escapementwheel during one and the same stroke of the elbow-lever l l', a shoe,r, is applied under them in such a position that either one or both pawls are prevented from engaging with the escapement-wheel. The shoe is suspended irom a lever, s, which oscillates on a stud, s', secured in a standard, t, which is rigidly connected to the bracket j. The upper end krofthisstandard forms therbearing foran yeyebolt, u, the eye of which formsfthe' guide *f for a vertical rod v, which is adjustable by jam-nuts w in the end of ka standard, af,

rwhich extends from 'the armr a of the sleeve G, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The lower end ofthe rod o isiiattened out and provided withy acam-'slot,b,'(seeFig.4ofthedrawings,)`which catches over a pin, c', projectlng from the 1nner surface ofthe levers. The rod u is so adjusted that when the balls are down the pin c isin the upperpart of the cam-slot, and the levers, with the'shoe, isheldin f such a posif tion that the pawl m is prevented from en ga-ging-withthe teeth of the escapement-wheel.

lf an oscillating motionr is impartedtoi the 'el-r l bow-lever ll', an intermittent rotary motion is imparted to the escapement-wheel in the f direction' of the arrow marked thereon 1n Fig.'

3 ofthe drawings, and by this motion the screw-rod b 'is turned in such a direction that the swivelnut ony the end f of the arm c is'r i opened or the rock-shaft d turns in the direction opposite ythearrow marked on it in Fig. 1

of the drawings.

If the balls` fly out,the rod v rises with the sleeveG, andy bythe action of the cam-slot b* e on the pin c the lever s and shoe Ar are slightly turned, and saidshoe assumes such a positionr that thepawl m engages with the teeth of the escapement-wheel, andthe pawl m ypassesy overk them without taking any effect. The escapement-wheel nowturnsin the direction opposite to the arrow marked thereon in Fig. `Soi' the drawings, and the swivel-nut travels up on the screw-rod, and the rock-shaft or valve-rod turns in the direction of the arrow marked on it in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The valve thereby closes, the balls drop down, and the speed of the engine slackens, until the balls arrive to their required position correspendingl to the desired mean speed of the engine. Vhen the governor has arrived in this position, the shoe r is brought on a parallel curve with the escapement-wheel, so that neither of the pawls engages with the teeth of said wheel. This object is effected automatically by constructing the shoe in two parts, one of which is rigidly connected to the lever s, while the second part is attached to the first by a hinge-joint and furnished with a tail, d, which projects beyond the circumference ot' the escapement-wheel, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, while a spring-bar, e', which is connected to the rock-shaft d, extends over the tail d, and as soon as said rockshaft arrives in a position to stop cutting off, the spring-bar bears 011 the tail and raises the hinged part of the shoe and prevents the pawl m from engaging with the teeth of the escapement-wheel. When the balls iiy out sufficiently to raise the spring-bar off of the tail of the shoe, the paw] m engages with the escapement-wheel, turns it in a direction to open the valves, and the steam is let in suflicient to raise the balls to their required position. Both pawls are then detached from the escapement-Whee] by the adjustable shoe, and the engine assumes its normal speed.

By this arrangement We obtain a more perfect action of the governor and a more uniform and steady speed than is obtained bythe ordinary ball or contrifugal governor or by a governor of any other construction.

We claim as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The employment o r use of a screwrod, b, screwing in the end of an arm, c, which. eX- tends from the rock-shaft or valve-spindle d, and applied in combination with the governor and with suitable gear, substantially as and `for the purpose set forth.

2. The escapement-Wheel la and pawls mm', applied in combination with suitable bevelgear, ej', screw-rod b, and with the governor and valve-gear, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The shoe t and cam-slot b', arranged in combination With each other, and with the pawls m m', escapement-Wheel k, screw-rod b, and with the governor and valvegear, substantially as and for the purpose specied.

4. Making the shoe r in two parts which are hinged together, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The tail dit, applied to the hinged shoe r, and operating in combination with the bar e* secured to the rock-shaft d, substantially as and for the purpose described.

OLIVER A. KELLY.

Witnesses: ESTUS LAMB.

ALFRED ALLEN, B. M. CooK. 

